Stained with Blood
by Sapphiria
Summary: The Hero Killer evaded them again, this time taking a U.A student with him. As Izuku learns more about the flawed system of heroics, the others in Class 1-A are working to save him from Stain's clutches before the villain gets his wishes for a battle of ideology against All Might. A week really can change a person, for better or for worse.
1. Aftermath

**So this is my first My Hero Academia fanfic but I knew I had to at some point. This series is incredible and I love the characters so much! I thank whomever introduced me to this series for this story coming about, but I really dunno who that is so just thanks to the creator of the manga and the anime in general. Seriously, MHA is one of my favourite anime out right now and I don't normally like Superhero anime.**

 **Warning: This is an AU from the fight against Stain, it deviates from Manga canon meaning that what happens in the anime/manga doesn't happen. Also, there may be spoilers from the manga as the series progresses dependent on the upcoming final six episodes of Season 2. Also, yeah, murder, blood, swearing (Blame Kacchan for that one, I do) and stuff like that so rated T for edgey.**

 **With that said, thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy!**

* * *

 **Aftermath**

"Get down!" Gran Torino's shout brought the three students, plus a bunch of other Pro Heroes out of their static states as a winged Nomu came flying towards them. The female hero turned around, getting into a defensive stance.

"A villain?!" She cried out, remembering the cream, brain leaking figure from moments ago when Endeavor began fighting against it to save another from its clutches. Blood was streaming behind it from an empty eye socket, probably a remnant from its last fight. It swooped down, cawing as it reached its foot talons into the group and snatched up the first thing it could grab.

That thing was Izuku Midoriya.

"Midoriya!" Shouto Tokodori and Tenya Iida, fellow classmates at Yuuei High School, cried out their friend's name as he was dragged up into the sky by the Nomu, struggling and squirming in its claw grip. The wind rippled from the creature's wings, practically forcing the heroes to the ground with the harsh breeze it was creating. From behind him, Gran Torino heard the female hero cry out as some blood splattered itself on her face. He ignored her words, scowling as the boy he had taken in for internship was getting further from is reach, if he didn't act soon then there would be no way his Quirk would be able to reach his target. It didn't help that air resistance had doubled thanks to the powerful flaps of the Nomu's wings, which would hinder him even more.

Due to a stroke of luck, or maybe just a lack of thoroughness, it turned out that Stain, the hero killer had one more blade hidden up his sleeve. Seconds later, his tongue ran across the cheek of the unnamed female hero, catching the blood that had splattered across it. The Nomu was paralysed almost immediately, wings locking up which caused it to lose altitude quite rapidly. Ropes that had once bound the villain flew off, cut as if it was a simple piece of paper.

"A society overrun with fake heroes and the criminals who wave their power around idly…" Stain jumped into the air, eyes glowing red with undying rage. His arm raised above his head before the blade in his hands was stabbed into the Nomu's brain forcibly. The force sent the beast to the ground, crash landing with Izuku still in its clutches and with Stain riding on its back, clouds of grey dust covering them from the impact. Once the dust had cleared, it revealed the hero killer with a hand pinning the boy down and the other tightly clasped around the blade still in the creature's head.

"…they should all be purged."

Remembering the words spoken by the same man, the hero called Native almost choked on his dry throat, shivering at the pure terror that was being caused by a singular villain that was struggling to remain standing not too far away from where he was now, a villain that almost managed to kill him. Drool ran out of Stain's mouth like waterfalls, cascading from the edges of his teeth. His pupils had shrunk to a near invisible size, veins protruding visibly around the viewable surface of his eyes.

"This is all…" Taking a huge breath of air, he ripped the blade from out of the dead Nomu's exposed brain. The action allowed blood to fly out from the sudden tear of tissue giving it the freedom from the body. Stain was still looking down at the ground, other hand still on Izuku's back, but with that moment everyone else felt the judgemental, insane eyes of a killer glaring at each and every one of them. Only one person was exempt of this treatment, and that one person was too close to the villain for comfort. "…to create a more just society."

Nobody knew that two members of the League of Villains was watching them at that moment, one of them cursing Stain and Izuku as he scratched at his neck angrily. No one would have cared at that moment either, all of their attention lay on the hero killer – who had lost the struggle to remain standing and was kneeling on the ground – and the boy who he had just technically saved. It was a paradox to the Pro Heroes, why would someone who killed heroes go and save a kid that wanted to be a hero, was training to be a hero at the best hero course in the whole of Japan? Iida knew why, Midoriya fit perfectly into Stain's ideal world. Midoriya's words mirrored All Might's, the only hero who was good enough to kill the Hero-killer, the only hero that Stain would ever admit defeat against.

It made sense as why Stain, after paralysing Midoriya in the fight, largely ignored him with preference of killing Iida first, then Native. The villain had said it himself, Midoriya was deemed someone worth keeping alive. It's not that he wouldn't kill the boy just because he wasn't an actual hero, he tried to take out both Iida and Todoroki with his weapons, but the hero Midoriya wanted to be when he was older was true definition of the term, in Stain's eyes at the very least. By now, the pros had pulled themselves out of their shocked states and were talking about what to do now.

"He saved the boy?!" One of them inquired in disbelief, only to be on the receiving end of glares and sarcastic looks.

"No, you idiot!" A hero – with a white mask and four blue bars in the middle of it – replied, annoyed by the words that he deemed stupid that were coming out of another's mouth. "He took a hostage!"

"He killed someone, more so another villain, without hesitation." Another hero – with goggles on his head and spiked white hair – added with a serious tone.

"Anyway, get ready!" The female pro announced as she and the three others got into battle ready positions. "'Cause we've got a fight on our hands!" Before any of the pros could do anything, another voice made them turn and look.

"Why is everyone just standing around in a group?" The burning mass of Endeavor – ranked number 2 in the Pro Hero charts with All Might being number one – ran up the road, staring at the group who had an old geezer, two hurt children and an injured hero thrown into the mix. Of course, there were four healthy pros just standing in the middle of the pavement, doing nothing when a distress signal had apparently been sent from this location. It was also the area in which the winged beast had vanished off to. "The villain should have escaped this way."

"How are things holding up on your end?"

"Things got a little rough… mhrmm?" Endeavor's eyes laid themselves on the knelt man ahead of them, pinning a struggling form to the ground who was yelling out to be let go of. "But don't tell me that that man is… the hero killer?" Flames began forming around the hero's left arm as he was about to take aim, only for the elderly hero, Gran Torino to shout at him to stop. There was a hostage involved, any fire could cause the boy injury as well and as the number 2 hero, the press would have a field day if they found out that Endeavor put the pride of defeating the hero killer over rescuing a hostage.

Stain snarled at Endeavor's appearance. That man was the opposite of All Might; selfish, greedy, undeserving of his title. In the villain's warped mind, he knew that Endeavor would be the first to fall at the hands of judgement from his blades. The fire controlling man had no place in a society of true heroics, a fake if he had ever seen one. A part of him wanted to preach his ideology, make those heroes shake to their very core but he couldn't, at least not for now. He wanted to fight with All Might, he wanted to have a battle that would remain in the books of history for centuries to come.

And to do that, he needed the boy who was squirming under his hand.

All Might, the greatest hero wouldn't just appear for a killer outside of his preference zone. Hosu City was out of bounds when it came to All Might's area of justice, Stain would just have to find a way to bring the hero out of his zone and to Hosu. For years he had planned this final duel, the fight against All Might to prove that this society was tainted by fakes and could only be saved by heroes such as the powerful Symbol of Peace. It was thanks to the League of Villains, predominantly their toddler like leader of sorts known as Tomura Shigaraki, that he had learnt of the boy.

During their attack on the USJ, the league had taken note of one the Class 1-A students from Yuuei. His Quirk, albeit heavily damaging on the boy, was a near identical match to All Might's. However, it wasn't just the Quirk that felt the same, their view point on what it means to be a hero was as well. To Stain, it felt as if the boy was a younger All Might and he could just tell that there was some kind of connection between the two, one of which he could exploit for the greater good of a more just hero run society. Shigaraki wanted the boy dead for multiple reasons, Stain wanted the boy alive for those same reasons.

The true hero would come and fight for the future of society, he knew that All Might would do it, especially with a hostage to keep him from rejecting such a kind offer.

Holding in the will to straight up stab Endeavor where he stood, Stain used his blade to nick the kid where his knifes had caught him last time, allowing more blood to rise to the surface. Licking his tongue over the cut made the boy paralysed but this gave him a time limit. He had to get out of there in three minutes flat or else. Throwing the child over his shoulder, he turned and looked one last time at the group of heroes that were mentally planning on charging at him.

"In my society, you would all be dead, stepping stones on the path to a better future. None of you deserve to be called a 'hero'," he glared at them all intently, ultimately freezing them in their tracks. Surprisingly even Endeavor faltered in his step, which left an opening. "The only hero who can ever kill me will be All Might, no one else can ever hold a candle to him. A true hero is something you could only wish to be in another life, a life that will be opened up to you once I'm done killing you all. For now, all I want is All Might and refusal to bring him to me will result in the kid's death, got it?" Stain cringed from the cliched mass of corniness that was a villain's hostage taking speech but it was effective to say the least. He had their attention, they knew his demands and now, he was going to leave.

With a bounding leap, the villain made his way onto the top of a nearby building with captive firmly in grasp. The shouts of 'Midoriya!' from below at least gave Stain some sort of name to refer to the kid by, it was the only thing he would give gratitude to for the two students back on the ground. Ingenium's brother was too thirstful for vengeance, not able to show the markings of a hero with a clouded sense of judgement whilst the other was the offspring of Endeavor, nothing could be worse a sentence in his eyes. Stain gave the sorry group one last look before he left, if only he still had his knives on him. The raining of metal on those fools, piercing their skin and bones… it would have been such a beautiful sight to leave to.

~0~o~0~

Tenya Iida was drowning in guilt, in the shame of what his actions had done. Not only were he and Todoroki stuck inside a hospital room during their internships but Midoriya – one of the few friends he had made in his short time at Yuuei – was still in the hands of the hero killer with a ransom over his life. None of the Pro Heroes did anything to stop Stain from leaving with the paralysed student, no one fought for Midoriya's freedom. Thus, another reason for the guilt was born, he didn't save Midoriya. Uraraka was going to kill him when they met again, he just knew it.

He ignored the stare that Todoroki was leaving linger upon him, thinking about everything that had gone wrong and how it was mostly his fault. If he hadn't decided to intern in Hosu, if he had left Stain alone for another hero to deal with then they wouldn't have been hurt and Midoriya would still be with Gran Torino wherever those two were before this incident occurred. Their training was obviously working as his friend was no longer breaking bones whilst he was fighting, meaning that Midoriya had done more than he had in the last few days. Now he was lagging behind yet again and there was nothing he could do to get out of the hospital, especially with his arms in the condition they were.

"Hey, Iida." The spectacled hero-in-training looked up at Todoroki, who's stoic expression hadn't changed much in the past few hours. "Stop doing that."

"Doing what?" Iida asked too quickly for his own good, realising it made him sound like he knew what his classmate was saying. The fact was he did but didn't want to talk about it at that moment.

"Moping like that," Todoroki turned to face the window for a moment, looking out to a calm and clear sky. "It won't change anything, it won't bring Midoriya back. If anything, it'll just make everything worse."

"How can you say that?!" All of the bottled-up emotions were allowed to run freely, tears welled up in the corners of Iida's eyes as he continued to talk. "Our classmate is a hostage in the hands of a murderer, we're both in recovery from only just surviving a fight against said murderer and all of it is my fault entirely! If only I…"

"There you go again, if only, what if…" With a sigh, Todoroki shook his head. "It's the past, you can't change it unless you have some hidden time travel Quirk somewhere. We have to focus on the now and the future. Once we've healed, we can get help, help of people we know can be valuable assets in the mission to rescue Midoriya…"

"That won't happen." Both boys turned their heads as the heroes Gran Torino and Manual – the man who ran the agency Iida was interning at – with the Hosu chief of police, a dog headed man called Kenji Tsuragamae. "It would be too risky to have children partake in something as dangerous as this, especially with the Hero Killer Stain involved. We can't risk anymore lives, as I'm sure the two of you are highly aware, woof." Two sets of eyes looked away from the police chief, receiving them two whacks on the head by a speedy old man.

"Are you two listening?!" Todoroki rubbed the back of his head whilst Iida flinched but both boys nodded in answer. "It's bad enough I lost the kid who was interning with me but for you two to dimwittedly try and take on a professional killer with an army of toddlers in the hero world? Are you crazy?"

"Plus, you aren't allowed to use your Quirks without a provisional license or permission outside of school grounds," Manual added sternly. "You would be breaking more laws with that one act than the three of you combined did today. Even with Native's words of praise, you two and Midoriya still would be receiving harsh penalties, if it wasn't for the kidnapping and its effects on the two of you. You've had more than enough torment for tonight and with Stain not caught, we thought it was best to sweep the situation under the rug and never mention the two of you in any recounts."

"As the chief, I believe it is my duty to protect the citizens at all cost, just as much as a hero would," Tsuragamae stepped in, staring down at the two bedridden boys. "A city-wide search has begun for the two of them. Once the Hero Killer is found, we will make sure justice prevails without any more bloodshed. That will only happen if the two of you promise not to go searching for Stain yourselves because if you do, then he will have no mercy and your lives would be walking on a tightrope above a blade of his choice. You need to know what this means, and I hope you do…"

"In other words, leave it to the professionals, kids." Gran Torino butted in, tapping his boot covered foot against the floor.

"Do you understand?" Manual finished up, his gaze focused more on Iida than Todoroki but that was to be expected, the latter wasn't interning at his agency.

"Yes sir." The two boys said at the same time which was obviously the right answer in the adult's eyes. The stern expressions had faded into worried ones. These kids were suffering from both mental and physical trauma, and one of them was trying his hardest to keep his emotions tightly shut inside.

"All of us hope for your swift recovery from your injuries," The police chief finished as the heroes began to turn and leave. "Get some rest, heal up as quickly as you can and then you can head back to your internships before school starts again. I'm going to deal with the legal details with these two, woof. You did defeat the hero killer after all." Neither Iida or Todoroki said anything until the others were heading out of the doorway.

"Stain said he wanted All Might," Todoroki called after them, making the men turn around with shocked looks on their faces… well two out of the three were, Gran Torino was frowning for some reason. "The reason why he took Midoriya was because he wanted to fight with All Might, and now he has a life hanging over this decision… Will All Might accept this challenge, or will he let Midoriya die?!" Silence hung over the room, with Iida's gaping face looking straight at Todoroki's anger fuelled one. Manual looked at the ground whilst Gran Torino clenched a fist. Tsuragamae didn't know what to say for a while, so just went for a default answer, one of which had been used a thousand times.

"All Might will accept, it's in his nature to help anyone in need, woof," The man turned his back to the students, hiding his quivering lip from their view. "Especially for a student at the school he teaches at. All Might will accept… he will." With that, the adults excused themselves, leaving Iida and Todoroki to give each other a worried glance. That voice hadn't been filled with certainty, not something they had wanted to hear. Looking over at the bedside cabinet, the one with his phone resting upon the desk, Iida thought of a plan.

"Todoroki, can you hold my phone for me whilst I make a call?" The half hot, half cold Quirk user raised an eyebrow at his words.

"Why do you need me to do that?"

"There's someone I want to talk to," Iida paused before he gave his fellow classmate a half-hearted smile. "If that is okay with you?"

~0~o~0~

Gran Torino waited by the telephones in the hospital, waiting for a certain someone to pick up. When a familiar voice ended up on the other line, he spoke immediately

"You're in quite the pickle now, Toshinori," he told his ex-pupil. "I'm sure you've heard the news by now."

"I'm not sure what you mean." All Might's normal form voice came down the line, causing the elderly man to groan.

"Listen, and make sure you note everything down…"

" _Iida? What do you mean by the fact that you got into a fight with THE HERO KILLER?!"_

" _I know it sounds bad, but that isn't even the half of it, Uraraka."_

"What… you mean?"

"Yes, Toshinori, I do mean…"

" _What do you mean by that?"_

" _I mean something horrible has happened."_

"No… no, no no NO!"

"I am not lying to you, your protégé Midoriya…"

" _What happened to Deku, Iida?!"_

" _Mi… mid… Midoriya is, has been kidnapped by Stain, the hero killer."_


	2. Revelation

**Wow, I am surprised by the support this has already, I am shocked and grateful that my first My Hero Academia fanfic attempt was a success. Thank you all for reading and/or reviewing, favourite-ing, alerting this story. As a thanks, I got this chapter done early!**

 **As for the story, I am planning 21 chapters in all, with some days of the week getting two chapters, E.g. Stain VS All Might and so on. With two chapters down, we have nineteen more to go so be in for a ride. Plus, Bakugou's swearing starts this chapter and yes, this is Manga version Bakugou so all swearing applies.**

 **Before we begin, review answering time!**

 **kaijin36: That's Deku for you but as of healing Stain? I dunno, you'll have to see!**

 **SilentXD7: Thank you! I am continuing as I like it so much! My Hero Aca is awesome and I haven't seen many stories with Stain in them, actually.**

 **purpleradiance: Perfect characterization? Wow, I mean, thank you, I was worried about that. I am glad everyone feels in character. This chapter may change that but who knows.**

 **Cartoon Trubbish: Me too, me too. :)**

 **JirachiAtSundown: Woah, overload of words! How do I write? Easy, I just type stuff on a keyboard, my mind makes up the rest. Thank you but I don't see it as a work of art yet, I haven't even started yet.**

 **With that done, thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy.**

* * *

 **Revelation**

Toshinori Yagi didn't know what to do, for the first time in years he had no idea what to do next. Being the great All Might everyone looked up to, and all children strived to be better than, he knew what his calling and purpose was. Day by day he would use his hero form to save people, destroy villains with a well-controlled 'Smash' and just be there to show the world that he was there as a force to bring peace to the streets and cities. If it wasn't for Nana and Gran Torino, he wouldn't be here now as the number one hero, he would be working in an office somewhere whilst still being Quirkless. If it wasn't for the potential his predecessor saw in him, then he would have never been a hero.

Maybe that's why he chose Izuku Midoriya to be his successor over another student with an extremely powerful quirk. Having once been Quirkless himself, Toshinori could see what Nana saw in him in the young fanboy. The moment the kid suddenly rushed into a scene to save a 'friend' when the heroes weren't doing anything reminded him how much of a hypocrite he was. He told Midoriya that he could never be a hero without a Quirk and that the police may be a good option for him to go into, but the boy was destined to be a hero from the moment he did something that every great hero did in their origin stories.

He moved without even thinking about what his body was doing.

Ever since the day the two met, Toshinori was shocked at Midoriya's progression as the ninth user of One For All, especially since he had it easy by having an amazing body at the time of inheriting it from Nana. Midoriya had to train to get a body that could just hold the power he was being given, Toshinori trained too but not as much as his successor had to. Sometimes he forgot how easy it was for him to master One For All, but he wasn't worried about his protégé in the slightest. Sure, every time Midoriya used his power, then bones would break and limbs would flop around uselessly but from word of mouth – A.K.A. Gran Torino – it seemed as if the boy had found a way to use the power without breaking limbs. The old coot had simply called it 'Full Cowling'.

Toshinori was proud of the boy, but not proud of himself. As of that moment, he was sitting on his desk's chair with his eyes latched onto the mobile in his hand. Gran Torino had just called him for the first time since they had last met. It was out of the blue but it meant only one thing, the man was calling about Midoriya. Toshinori had expected to go out of his way to apologise for his student's rash behaviour and his lack of responsible teaching only to hear the news that made his non-existent stomach tie itself in knots and his heart to drop to his feet. Stain, the well-known hero killer, had taken Midoriya hostage.

And it was all because of him.

The villain wanted a fight against him, for some unknown reason. It wasn't to kill him, oh no, quite the opposite was the truth. Toshinori knew that Stain admired All Might and thus would only let himself die by the hands of the person who embodies the meaning of true heroism. The thing was that All Might wasn't a killer, he was a symbol of peace… the Symbol of Peace for everyone. No matter what the situation was, Toshinori couldn't bring himself to end another person's life. It was just not his way. But now, he may not have a choice. With still no sign of either the hero killer or young Midoriya two days after the kidnapping occurred and the children having returned from their training with the pros, he was only allowed to sit with his hands on his knees. Waiting for ransom demands to be dropped was a nail biting procedure, if Toshinori had any nails left to bite.

Every time his phone rung with the signal of a message or a call, his heart rose with hopes that the caller ID was Midoriya, only for his heart to sink at someone else's name. He didn't know why he would even believe that his successor could be the one calling him, he felt helpless and weak. All Might was strong, powerful and a saviour with a smile, Toshinori wasn't at that moment. Reaching into the pocket of his suit, he pulled out a picture of himself and Nana, student and master, with the sun rising slowly behind them on the same beach that he had Midoriya clean to prepare his body for the road ahead. Staring at the proud smile on the woman's face, he sighed as his emotions threatened to get the better of him.

"I'm sorry, Nana. I was not worthy… Midoriya deserves a better teacher than me…" Toshinori looked down at his thighs as the door to the staff lounge slid open after he spoke. All the other Pro Heroes watched him with sad expressions, not knowing how to make him feel better. Even in his normal form, Toshinori wasn't this depressed about his situation. Being the best being for this scenario, Principal Nedzu walked calmly over to the Pro Hero and placed a paw on his leg.

"Toshinori, please don't say such things," he spoke gently, softly patting the man's leg as he talked. "And please don't blame yourself over what happened. You weren't there in Hosu when the attack happened and I am sure that your student is fine. If what both Tenya Iida and Shouto Todoroki told us was true, then there would be no reason for Stain to kill a child who he deems to be worth something in his envisioned world."

"I know, I've been told that a million times but…" Toshinori sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Those two also said Midoriya was hurt, he had a leg wound. What if it gets infected? What if he's not being fed? What if…?"

"You can through what ifs but you won't get any answers," Shouta Aizawa, also known as Eraser Head, stated plainly in his usual monotone voice. "Plus, the pity party won't work, I'm his homeroom teacher. If anything I should feel worse that you are now for letting Midoriya accept the position with Gran Torino. However, there was nothing you can do now, what's done is done and we should look forwards now to…"

"…To rescue the boy from the horrible murderer!" Hizashi Yamada, hero name Present Mic, butted in, raising his fist high into the air with a large beaming grin on her face.

"If you put it that way then we're just as good as putting All Might back into his pity party." Aizawa groaned, picking up some papers from his own desk. "Gotta face Class 1-A, I'm sure they'll want to know what happened if Iida or Todoroki haven't told them yet. Plus, I've got to get the envisions of starting a rescue mission out of their heads." As he passed the deflated form of Toshinori and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Chin up, you're teaching them later. They'll pick up on your emotional state if you're not smiling like always. He'll be fine, All Might. Midoriya survived fighting with multiple broken limbs and came out okay, he's not going to go out without a fight." There was shock from the small smile that was given from Aizawa before the man left the room, but Toshinori couldn't help but feel a bit more relieved from the comfort.

"He's right you know, that boy's stronger than you were at his age." Principal Nedzu continued with his calming tone.

"Midoriya's had a lot to live up to, and a lot to deal with before I met him…" Toshinori stared down at the ground before lightly slapping himself in the face. "Thanks, I shouldn't have been thinking like that. Midoriya's tougher than I could ever believe he could be. I'm just underestimating his strength and determination. I'll find him, I swear on it."

"Now that sounds more like the All Might we know and love!" Present Mic grinned with a flourish of exciting gestures. "But don't you worry about finding your little friend, other Pro Heroes like Endeavor are working on it, okay?"

"I want to find him myself," Toshinori glared at his picture before stuffing it into his pocket, making a reminder to copy that exact photo once Midoriya was returned safely to Yuuei. "Stain asked for me and no one else."

"He sure as hell did," All eyes latched onto Midnight, who was holding a letter out for the downtrodden man who was, before that moment, slowly reaching for the hope and power that was inside of him. "Here, somehow he managed to send you a letter." Taking the letter from it, Toshinori slowly opened it and read what was inside.

 _All Might,_

 _As you may already know, I have one of your Class 1-A students with me at this very moment, very much alive and well. If I am right, you should get this letter on the Monday after the work placements of the students and, if you do, you should know what I am about to ask._

 _You have one week to prepare, a week before we shall battle it out over which society is better. The flawed mess that you seem to support or the true heroic society I believe in. If you don't show up, I kill the kid. If you plan a rescue mission, I kill the kid. If you don't fight me on the day, I will blow up the building he will be in, killing more than just the boy. Remember, Symbol of Peace, you have a week to prepare yourself for the greatest fight in history. The location and time will be sent at a later date._

 _Stain: Hero Killer_

Toshinori's growing hope had dwindled and the flame of power lost its light until it was naught but a flicker deep inside of his scrawny body.

~0~o~0~

Ochako Uraraka huffed and puffed as she ran towards the classroom that her homeroom period was supposed to be starting in ten minutes. She was never normally this early but considering what had happened, she needed to be in earlier than normal and it was all to do with a single phone call from Iida during her placement. Deku, the go for it guy who she saw as an amazing best friend, had been kidnapped by the hero killer and Iida blamed himself for everything. Of course, she tried to calm him at first, but once the truth had sunk in she cried. Cried with hope for her friend/crush's safety, cried for the helplessness she felt for not being able to do anything, cried for the fear of the unknown.

Gunhead, the hero she was doing her placement with, noticed her emotional state and took her to one side for a chat. He told her that feeling this way was normal for heroes who saw a person, normally a civilian, get dragged away by a villain as a hostage, which was all Deku was in the eyes of Stain. The hero gave some of his own stories to her and told her how he became stronger for them, the people he couldn't save, so that when he was able to, he'd be strong enough to rescue them from harm. Those words drove Uraraka into pushing herself further with her training. She wanted to save Deku, she wanted to be stronger for him.

Now, as she pulled open the door to her classroom, she planned how she was going to get the rest of the class on board for a class rescue mission. It was Iida's suggestion so she knew that both him and Todoroki would be onboard. Most of the class, minus Bakugou, loved Deku to pieces so would be up for the task. There were just a few rule followers to talk around but she would give her best puppy dog look and try and force them into it.

"Everyone, I have an announcement to make!" Uraraka froze at Iida's booming voice as she entered, shocked that the rest of the class were already here.

"Iida?" She asked, only to be given a confident smile from the class president and took her seat.

"This better be good," Eijirou Kirishima smirked over to Denki Kaminari. "If he and Todoroki are at the front then there is trouble looming." The other male sniggered at his words whilst Tsuyu Asui used her long tongue to whack him one around the head from the other side of the room.

"Shut up and listen, kero." Her non-expressing face seemed to glow the radiance of annoyance. With the class settled down, Iida coughed to clear his throat and began to talk once more.

"As I was saying, I have…"

"If it's about Midoriya let me do the talking and sit down," The frightful glare of their homeroom teacher sent both the class president and Todoroki to their seats as quickly as possible. "Good, thank you."

"Now you mention it, Midoriya hasn't showed up yet." Mashirao Ojiro muttered out loud. "It's not like him to be late."

"Did something happen on his placement which seriously hurt him and thus meaning he couldn't return back?!" Everyone sweat dropped at Minoru Mineta's over the top reaction, tears flowing and all. Maybe the class pervert thought it would get him some sympathy points with the ladies.

"I know!" Ever the energy ball, Mina Ashido bounced up and down in her seat with a conspiracy theory in her mind. "He was abducted by aliens and the government are starting a space war over it!"

"Where did you get such an idea?" The entire class asked her, causing the girl to slump over in her seat.

"Star Wars." She mumbled her reply with a visible pout.

"Quiet!" Aizawa's stern glare with illuminated pupils made the class still once more. "The news hasn't covered this as the police are keeping it a secret but Stain attacked again a few days into your placements."

"No way!" Tooru Hagakure, the invisible girl, gasped loudly as her shirt's sleeves began flailing madly. "Did he kill someone?!"

"If he did then it would be front page news," Momo Yaoyorozu answered her knowledgably, before striking a thoughtful pose of her own. "What has Stain's attack got to do with Midoriya? Was he the one who was attacked?"

"Technically not," Aizawa replied, staring blankly out at them. "Iida and Todoroki were there so they can tell you what happened in detail. Anyway, after the attack, All Might was challenged by Stain to a fight for the ideology of the hero based society we have today."

"Stain'll lose like the fucking idiot he is," Up until now, Katsuki Bakugou had been silent which in itself was worrying. Normally, Iida would be leaping up out of his seat and be covering Midoriya's ears from the swearing onslaught that normally arose from the blond's mouth but, he wasn't there to protect from the swearing which made Iida stare down with more guilt than ever before. "All Might is the fucking best for a reason, the shitty bastard. A hero killer will be fucked against fucking All Might."

"Language Bakugou," The teacher ignored the string of curses which followed and sighed. "And to continue where I was, All Might would prefer not to fight if it wasn't for one thing… what is it Tokoyami?"

"I'm guessing but does Stain have Midoriya as a hostage or something along those lines?" Fumikage Tokoyami had a hint of questioning behind his words, aimed solely at their teacher.

"WHAT?!" That got the entire class up on their feet. Everyone minus Aizawa, Iida, Todoroki and Uraraka were staring at him as if he was growing an extra bird head or something.

"You can't be serious." Kyouka Jirou frowned at Tokoyami, who raised his eyebrow back at her. "Wait, you are serious? But how could something like this happen? Stain kills, not take captive."

"Two words," Mezou Shouji answered for the other male, having got a basic grasp around the situation's foundations. "All Might. Everyone knows All Might is now a teacher here. Wanna fight him? Take one of his students as a hostage and you're good to go, especially one he is really close with."

"It's true," All eyes returned to their teacher who wasn't showing any sign of changed emotion. "The ransom note arrived today. This time next Monday or Midoriya gets it. Listen, I wanted to tell you as you lot have a right to know where a fellow student is but this does not grant permission for you lot to go off on a rescue mission. It's bad enough one of my students are in a dangerous position, let alone all of you heading there and potentially dying. Anyway, if you want the details of the attack, ask Iida and Todoroki. Otherwise, you're free until All Might takes you on training. I have stuff to do." With that Aizawa left the room with his yellow sleeping bag, revealing that the so-called stuff was to sleep before his next class.

The students of Class 1-A crowded around the tables of Iida and Uraraka, hoping to find out what the hell was going on. Only Bakugou, who was cursing the name of Izuku 'Deku' Midoriya whilst violently shaking, didn't come over to hear the tale of the fight against Stain born from a need for revenge. Iida basically told everything with Todoroki pipping in where he was useful, which was mostly towards the end. Their classmates were amazing listeners, gasping in the right places whilst showing the correct emotional expressions during the explanation.

"That blows," Hanta Sero said after the two boys had finished. "There was nothing either of you could have done. Plus, you were surrounded by Pro Heroes. One of them could have rescued Midoriya if they wanted to, but they didn't so here we are."

"What are we gonna do now?" Mineta asked, looking around the others for inspiration.

"We go to All Might and ask to help," Yaoyorozu spoke up before anyone else could, shocking them at her sudden need to go against Mr. Aizawa's word. "He's teaching us next so we could easily use those sessions to train ourselves in time so we can be ready for when Monday rolls around."

"Yeah, but we've been told no," Kaminari burst into the conversation. "All Might would feel the same way, with Midoriya in danger, he wouldn't want to put the rest of us into it."

"Oh, we'll see…" Everyone turned to look at Uraraka, who was radiating a blazing dark aura. "He will let us help him, we'll all see."

~0~o~0~

To say that All Might didn't look himself at the training facility was an understatement. The hero was known for his smile, a bright cheery smile that never seemed to fade away, until today that is. The smile was forced, stretched to make the students believe he was okay, but they knew he was not. Midoriya's kidnapping had affected him more than anyone could ever know, especially since only a few people knew about the truth behind the relationship between them as mentor and mentee. Class 1-A knew the situation was draining the hero internally, and they wanted to pull off some of the pressure… well, everyone except Bakugou of course.

"T-today class, we are… are…" All Might stuttered, trying his hardest to remember what they had planned for this lesson only for the worry for Midoriya to come flying back to the forefront of his brain. Looking over the students, he realised he wasn't fooling anybody but had to keep up the act anyway.

"All Might?" Iida raised his hand as a part of the plan. "You don't have to fake your emotional state in front of us, sir. We are all as worried about Midoriya's safety as much as you are."

"FUCK YOU, YOU BASTARD!" Of course, resident 'King Explosion Murder' had to speak up. "I DON'T GIVE A FUCK ABOUT SHITTY DEKU'S SAFETY, IT'S HIS FAULT HE'S IN THAT FUCKING STATE IN THE FIRST PLACE! FUCKING DAMMIT!" As Bakugou raged, the rest of the class smartly ignored him.

"Listen, All Might," Yaoyorozu interjected, trying to get the will of the class forwards to their teacher. "We want to help you save Midoriya. And, before you say anything…" The teacher's wide open mouth said it all and he closed it quickly afterwards. "…Let me explain. You're fighting Stain and, let's say you win. What happens from there? Will he reveal Midoriya's location or will he press a hidden switch and blow the location up, thus killing our fellow classmate with no way for anyone to save him. What we propose is for you to give us permission to use our Quirks outside of school on the Monday of your fight so we can find Midoriya and rescue him before your fight is over, thus nulling the danger of the hostage situation."

All Might had to blink twice before his brain caught up with their words. "That is kind of you all but…"

"We faced a bunch of villains in the USJ," Uraraka stepped forwards with an adorable childlike look on her face. "Plus you'll be the one fighting Stain, who works alone. Our Quirks will keep us safe from any traps and stuff so please…" She put on the puppy dog eyes, which seemed to be working on the poor Pro Hero. All Might thought about their suggestion. The letter said HE wasn't allowed to start a rescue mission before Monday, but it didn't say his students couldn't on the day of the fight. Plus, Iida, Todoroki and Midoriya defeated Stain themselves with their Quirks, what's to say that nineteen of them couldn't infiltrate a building and rescue someone outside of the danger zone?

"Are you all sure about this?" He questioned them collectively, wanting to make sure none of them were being forced into agreement which, surprisingly, none of them were. Midoriya had some amazing friends, that was for sure. "Then, I accept your offer, may we train together this next week to save a friend from the clutches of Villainy!"

"YEAH!" Everyone except Bakugou cheered together, this was what they had hoped would happen and they were all thinking the same thing. 'Hang on Midoriya, we're coming to save you'.

"Right, but first, onto our lesson!" All Might's smile was no longer forced but true and happy, his posture having straightened in seconds. His voice boomed hope and power once again. "Luckily enough, I realise now our training today is rescuing dummy hostages from villains. A perfect start to your secret mission that I have no way agreed to if Aizawa asks, got it?" His words were followed by nods of the head, which made him smile more. "Alright, since there is nineteen, one of you will have to go twice but split into groups of four, we need heroes and villains for this one."

"Right!"

Bakugou watched from afar, staring down at his glove covered hands before clenching one of them into a fist. "What the fuck have you got yourself into _this_ time, Deku you nerd?"


	3. Remembrance

**So here's chapter three!**

 **I have revised my plan and, as such, the story is now 22 chapters long, so one extra chapter for you and luckily enough, today we're getting to see what's happening with a certain hero killer and his hostage!**

 **Now, to do with Stain's OCC behaviour with the letter, this chapter explains all. And I know you guys are right, Stain wouldn't kill Izuku and I know that as well, but if you consider the hidden meaning behind the threat, then all becomes clear. Also, warning, an OC does appear in this but she won't be too prominent at the moment. She will be in the future, but not now. Anyway, review answering time!**

 **Agurra of the Darkness: Yeah, I like Stain a lot as a character, he's pretty cool in my books. Well, I have reasoning for that which kinda answers your points with Stain (Who really doesn't want Izuku dead) but kinda ties into the hero perspective of society towards villains and hostages, if you get my drift. Class 1-A will learn more about Stain's ideology as the week progresses, Izuku will learn how Stain got that Ideology.**

 **Johnny Spectre: Yeah, and at least he wasn't caught by a guy with a hand fetish.**

 **Style1234: Bakugou cares in his own, sweary way. After all, beating Deku is one of the only ways to prove that he can be the best hero, after all.**

 **kajin36: Hmm... not if the rescue party is during his fight. Sure, he might lay down some traps but he can't be in two places at once. I'm not going for humour with this one, it's more... how to put it, darker in a way. Plus, the League of Villains will only make small cameos in this one, nothing too big.**

 **MIKE202303: It's next time now!**

 **PointlessKnife: You really think so? Well some might argue there but I try. Deku's right here so enjoy finding out what's happening to him!**

 **Tommy298: These kids have fought villains before, fought for their lives and managed to live to tell the tale. One villain, who would be battling All Might at the time, who was taken out by 3 of their class, wouldn't seem as much to them. Plus, it's a rescue mission for a friend, someone who has proven themselves to the class and someone they care about. As for the conversation, I'm sorry about that and will try not to rush conversations in the future.**

 **JirachiAtSundown: Dad Might for the win. Yes, EVERYONE, WE HAVE A NEW GAME! For every time Kacchan swears in this fic, take a shot! Let's see how far this goes! :) Just kidding, it would end up killing someone. Thank you for the praise and, in the mid onwards manga chapters, Kacchan swears a lot, he also does in every fanfic I've read so yeah, going off of that.,**

 **nikonekoyan: Really? Awesome! I've had this in my mind for a while now too. Sounds very interesting and once yours is up, I'd love to see how it turns out. I hope mine can live up to the standards you think it to be.**

 **Jade Tatsu: Nope, this is a Work In Progress fic, A.K.A I write a chapter at a time and upload when done, but I have planned all the chapters out. Oooops! I meant Envisionments but missed off a couple of letters, better change that soon. I haven't seen X-Files so Star Wars was the better option with Space Wars as the theme behind the reference... it was kind of a reference to the fourth movie (Or the first one out a long time ago in the eighties or something). He does, he says "Or Midoriya gets it." As far as I know, that means, or the kid dies ya morons.** **With your wishes for more Izuku and Stain screen time, I have it right here for you today, enjoy!**

 **TheJKWolf: Thank you and about the whole Stain thing and killing Izuku, you'll see in this chapter. Plus Stain is awesome, why aren't there more about him?**

 **As always, thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy.**

* * *

 **Remembrance**

It had been a few days since the incident, an unknown amount of time for someone with no clock nearby and no knowledge on how long they had been unconscious for. All Izuku really knew was that he was fed roughly three times a day whilst remaining chained to the wall behind him with Quirk negotiating cuffs – he still had no idea where a serial killer like Stain could have got some from, the police only used stuff like the ones he had on – but that was not the weirdest part. For someone who was gambling his life over some match, Stain was doing his hardest to keep the young student alive.

Almost immediately after the hero killer ran off with him, Izuku lost consciousness due to a blow to the back of the neck. Being paralysed thanks in debt to the Bloodcurdle Quirk, there was nothing he could do about it. He awoke to a similar situation to the one he was in currently, panicking when he couldn't use One For All to break himself free. Stain had thought of everything. An abandoned floor of some multi story building with soundproofed walls and a long-distance drop from the floor to the ground below. Pro Heroes would never think to check up here considering that the building itself was due to be demolished in a months' time. It was unstable, unsecure and an all-out tip, plus the pros were searching for Stain's residence, not a temporary place of occupation that was over three minutes away from the scene of the crime. The Pros were banking on the paralysis being over in three minutes – due to Izuku's blood type being O – so that meant Stain couldn't have many places to hide. Anyone with a brain could realise that a sword wielding maniac didn't give a crap about such a trivial thing.

One thing he surprisingly cared for was Izuku's health and wellbeing.

Despite being a hostage, Stain hadn't laid a single hand on him. The food was nutritious with vitamins that aided healing, there was a constant supply of water and the man was checking his leg wound constantly to make sure it wasn't infected and keeping it bandaged up for its own safety. In fact, Izuku was shocked to hear from Stain himself that the villain had threatened his life in the ransom note that would reach Yuuei, from the ideology of the killer what he had said made no sense. Out of the three classmates that showed up at the scene, Izuku was the only one Stain saw any need to spare due to his words matching those of a 'true hero'.

Hearing the echoing of footsteps reminded the boy that he had a few questions he wanted to ask. Lunch had been served pretty recently, as had been the last toilet visit, meaning that the villain was coming to check his injury. Just like the past few times, Stain entered with a small plastic bag in one hand. Having ditched his 'costume' for a black hoodie and baggy trousers, there wasn't much about his appearance that would give away his alter ego if he went out onto the street. There was no sign of blood, no weapons – at least that were visible – and no scarves/masks that hid his facial features. Even without his weapons, the man looked terrifying. It was almost as if he didn't need his Quirk to paralyse anybody if they caught a peek at his face, his nose was horribly disfigured and his eyes had a constant bloodshot look about them.

Stain had ignored the stutters and squeaks of fear when he entered in civilian mode for the first time, but noticed they had died down after a while. Obviously, the boy had gotten use to his grotesque image now. Following the same routine, he knelt down by the boy's injured leg and began unravelling the bandages. However, for some reason, the boy decided to talk this time.

"Why are you doing this?" Stain looked up from what he was doing at the boy – Midoriya, if his friends were to be believed – who was still clad in his hero costume.

"What do you mean by that?" The man countered with a question as continued to unravel the bandages.

"I mean, why are you helping my injury?" Clinking from the movement of the chain that kept the boy attached to the wall signalled he was getting a bit comfier, if that was even a thing he could do with his hands forced up into the air. "You did threaten my life if All Might stepped out of line so, why are you keeping me healthy? Most kidnappers with intent to kill wouldn't feed or heal their captives…"

Stain scoffed as he pulled the last of the old bandages off and stared at the gash near the ankle with a damp, clean cloth in his hands. "Didn't you hear what I said, kid? You're different, worth something in my ideal world of Heroes. I wouldn't kill you even if I was given a gun and forced into it."

"Huh? Then why…?"

"Because no one would take me seriously if I didn't," he couldn't help but chuckle internally at Midoriya's shocked expression, the boy really seemed to wear his heart on his sleeve at times. "If the other Pro Heroes knew I wasn't going to kill you if they messed up, then they would be scouting rescue missions left right and centre. I wasn't going to have that, especially not with that battle I have planned at stake. This world runs on a flawed ideology, I intend to show the world that by defeating All Might in battle. The symbol of their hero society will fall, and with it a new society of heroics will rise in its place…" Stain noticed the boy's left eyebrow was raised high up on his forehead. "…Eventually."

"What about All Might?" Midoriya hissed as the villain pressed a bit too hard down on his wound whilst cleaning it, leading the man to dab gently once again. "Will you kill him if you win?"

"Where the hell did you think that up? All Might is the pinnacle of my ideal society, he would remain a Pro Hero, of course…" Stain put the cloth down and pulled out a new roll of bandages with a cotton wool like pad on which the antiseptic cream could be put on. "…He was the one hero I looked up too when I was younger, nothing like the modern heroes like Endeavor..." He gritted his teeth together, anger flaring at the mention of the Pro Hero's name. "…It was thanks to All Might I learnt that not all heroes were the same, only a few were actually true heroes, most were just out for their own gain. Money, fame, publicity, all of these things make up a modern hero, not like the old days where people were heroes to save and protect."

"You're right about that," Izuku nearly blushed in shame as he had been infatuated with heroes from a young age, wanting to be just like the greats on the news. As he had grown, being Quirkless to boot, he had realised that most heroes weren't like All Might. They were fighting for the spotlight, fighting for attention from the people, fighting for the money that came with being a Pro Hero. Females would use their sexuality to boost their popularity whilst the males would claw at whatever they could. Endeavor took it a step too far by forcing a woman to marry him, resulting in Todoroki, a mixture of their two Quirks to make a powerful new Quirk that could surpass All Might himself – if the man hadn't passed down One For All to him. "But aren't your methods a bit too… well… destructive? Instead of rectifying the problem, you're kinda making it worse and by extension putting those bad heroes in the limelight…" He squealed and pushed himself against the wall at Stain's questioning glare. "…At least, that's what I think."

"At least I'm doing something." The villain replied as he started to wrap up the new bandages, making sure they were tight enough but not too tight that they cut off circulation.

"Like the League of Villains?" Izuku instantly lived to regret mentioning them as Stain quickly finished tying the bandages and then punched the wall with a scream of anger, his hand making a crater into the concrete wall.

"Those… BASTARDS…" Slowly, the villain pulled his hand out of the wreckage with a hiss. "Never… ever compare me to those lowlifes. Their goals are unachievable, immoral to the point of insanity. THEY WANT ALL MIGHT DEAD! They don't deserve to live in my society, I'll deal with them all if I must. They'll bleed until they paint their hideout red…" He realised he was ranting and turned his head back to his hostage, who was quivering in fear with a shaking body. "… Don't mention them again, got it?"

"Clear! Crystal clear!" He sighed, the anger had dissipated by now leaving a lingering pain from his bleeding knuckles.

"They used me, were using me to advertise their little organisation towards other villains when they don't follow my ideals," Stain packed away all of the items he had and sighed once again. "They don't deserve the news boost, especially since I killed one of their Nomus or whatever they were called. They don't deserve to live, unlike you do…" He was slightly relieved that the boy had calmed down and was looking him in the eye. "…You are a true hero, someone I would have liked to look up too when I was a child. Don't change, or you will join my long list of heroes that need to be culled… not that I think you will, you're just too much like All Might for anyone else's good. You're worth more to me alive then dead, Midoriya. I mean that."

"Uhmm… thank you…" Izuku stuttered, not knowing how to react to the fact he didn't have a sign saying 'Please kill' flashing over his head. Stain stood up and pulled his hood back over his face, hiding it out of sight and into the shadows.

"We're out of food, I'm going to get some, and remember not to use your Quirk to try and escape," he told the boy without a hint of emotion behind the tone of voice. "You'll just tire yourself out and make your wound worse from struggling. I'll be back later, got it?" Without waiting for a response, he left the floor with the sound of the door slamming shut – and being locked – echoing inside his captive's ears.

~0~o~0~

Stain – A.K.A. Chizome Akaguro – found it weird to be walking around on the streets without anyone realising who he was. His face, masked of course, had been in the news on and off for the past few days, especially since he had kidnapped and made a hostage out of a Yuuei student. Many news stations believed that the boy was already dead, some wished for his safe return, others turned to the Pro Heroes for not doing anything. He stopped by a random post box and put in his letter, the one for All Might which should be in Yuuei by tomorrow morning. The postman was coming up behind him, meaning he had reached the box in time. Stain turned away, and left the man to his job as he headed towards the shops, picking one he had never been in before. Each time meant he had to go to a different convenience store or shopping mall, so that he couldn't be recognised, but Hosu was quite huge and he was close to a train station so he could head into Tokyo if he needed to.

He turned left around a corner to find a store just down the road, making it easier for him. This one wasn't too far away from his current location, but it was far enough away from the other locations to not make a link. So far, he had planned out ten locations, but had only been to two before this. One of them was just browsing whilst the other was the first trip where he had brought anything. Obviously the more nutritious food wouldn't long so he had to go out for that but the bottled water and bandages had been brought in bluck in advance. When asked, he said a relative had been injured in a villain attack and was only allowed to drink water until the wound had healed. Because he had mentioned the villain attack, the person behind the counter accepted his reasoning without a second thought. In a world full of villains with abnormal powers and heroes with just as abnormal powers, nobody questioned civilian casualties due to how horrible villains were. People often got hurt during villain attacks if they weren't taken out immediately, most heroes didn't have the right Quirks to deal with the villains in question.

As he entered the store, with only the need to buy food on his mind, he noted the few other people inside with a bored teenaged worker behind the counter, meaning he wouldn't be easily recognised. Also, he noticed a lack of in store CCTV, with the camera being on the outside. With his hood up, it wouldn't be a problem at all. Nobody would connect him with his villain persona of Stain. Looking through the aisles, he found a few easy meals that the mini heater he brought from his apartment could heat up quickly. Checking their nutritional value, he picked them up in silence, thinking about how many he would need before he had to leave and go shopping again. Since the basement was cool, he could use that as a makeshift fridge but that was it. Those ready meals didn't last past three to four days time, meaning he would have to shop again at least once in the weak leading up to his fight against All Might. It didn't help that stuff for breakfast and lunch also had to be brought, but he could make do with the money he had been given.

Most people didn't know that some of the heroes he killed were also target kills, assassinations paid for by anonymous people who shared the same views as he did. Even some of those injured were a part of his payed messages. With no job, Stain had no way to obtain money and it was the only way for him to obtain a wage. The killings made him richer than he needed, and was helpful right now with his current situation. At first, he was sceptical about killing for money, making him no better than the heroes he despised until he met those heroes in person with a price tag on their head. They begged, pleaded, grovelled for their pitiful lives. It made killing with a price slightly more digestible, but it was the only way he could make a living. Those heroes could do whatever they wanted, those horrible people using fame, fortune and greed to fuel their actions. He was better than they were, he knew that for nothing.

Bringing the items to the checkout, he kept his face away from the young cashier, who couldn't care less really. After scanning the items and bagging them, the teenaged worker asked for the correct amount of money, about ¥56,000, before handing over the goods and turning attention to the next customer. As he left the store, Stain let out a sigh of relief, for once the youth of today saved his skin by not caring at all. Making his way back to the residence, he slowly walked whilst taking in his surroundings, something he hadn't done in a while.

There were no villain attacks at the moment so the civilians of the world were left alone go through their daily motions of life, taking to the pavements and roads to go to whether they wanted to go. Stain didn't really feel like one of them, despite his attire, despite the shopping bags in his hands. He was completely zoned out, so much so that he didn't hear his phone go off. Raising an eyebrow, he exchanged one bag to the other hand and pulled the phone out to answer it.

"Hello?"

"Wow, Chizome, you've been a busy boy, haven't you?" A feminine voice teased down the line, causing the hero killer to groan quietly.

"What do you want, Satoko?" He asked with slight resentment. Despite being one of his friendlier contacts, Satoko Kiroshima wasn't the most nicest of people to talk to when one had somewhere to be, especially due to her sassy nature and cynical outlook on life.

"How nice, glad you missed me too!" Satoko huffed down the line, probably stomping with one foot as she spoke. "Seriously though, the last client you called through really wore me out. I didn't know you had messed him up so badly."

"You have a healing Quirk, he turned out to actually be a good hero," Stain shifted the weight in his left hand to make sure the handles of the bags didn't hurt him too much. "You owed me quite a few favours."

"Now I only owe you one," she remined him, chirping in a childlike tone. "Anyway, I couldn't help but overhear that you have a hostage now. Planning on changing to the kidnapping buiz?"

"As if," He scoffed, walking through more crowds of people who couldn't care less what he was speaking about. "It's just so I can prove my ideology is better in a fight against All Might."

"Uh… yeah, you're about to fuck yourself up," Satoko, with the eloquence of a posh lady, told him sharply with a nice hint of cynicism. "Isn't All Might the one person you DON'T want to destroy. If you ask me, you'll be captured by the end of the week and be all over the news. As your ex-bestie please know that I care about you and really don't want you to go to jail, my best clients will be gone!"

"Ha ha, very funny Satoko, my sides are splitting." Stain groaned, wishing he could slap his forehead with a hand, if one was free. "Look, I've got to go, tracking lines and all."

"Seriously? The police don't know anything about your 'secret identity', you're fine!" She seemed to understand, however, as she seemed to smile sadly through the speakers. "But, if you're so certain, I'll see how you are another time. Oh, and before I forget, take care of yourself and that hostage of yours. You have a week remember? A WEEK! FEED YOURSELF OR I WILL COME RUNNING OVER AND…"

"Geez, I get it, I get it…" He sighed, pulling the phone away from his ear so his hearing wasn't damaged fatally. "See ya."

"Bye Chizome! And don't forget to clean your under…" Stain quickly pressed the end call button, letting out a sigh of relief that she hadn't finished her sentence. That woman acted like his mother half the time. Sliding the phone back into his pocket, he took the other bag back and disappeared into the crowd with the countdown of the days ahead already ticking in his head.


End file.
